Insights & Discussion
Coix seed extract could augment the efficacy of gemcitabine therapy in pancreatic cancer cells at least partly due to the alteration of ABC transporter-mediated drug efflux function.
Results showed that coix seed extract could synergistically enhance the anti-cancer efficacy of gemcitabine. Meanwhile coix seed extract alone or in combination with gemcitabine could significantly increase the AUCluc while decreasing the Kluc.
Western blot and immunohistochemistry assay demonstrated that coix seed extract could significantly mitigate gemcitabine-induced upregulation of ABCB1 and ABCG2 protein. The Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that the bioluminescent pharmacokinetic parameters and pharmacodynamic index have strong association in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion coix seed extract could augment the efficacy of gemcitabine therapy in pancreatic cancer cells may at least partly due to the alteration of ABC transporter-mediated drug efflux function.
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Coix lacryma-jobi sprout extract effectively inhibits cervical cancer cell growth by triggering cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
2019 BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen Stapf sprout extract induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human cervical carcinoma cells Son, E.S., Kim, SH., Kim, Y.O. et al
Cervical Cancer Coix Seed
In the methodology, the research used human cervical cancer HeLa cells to investigate the effects of Coix lacryma-jobi sprout extract (CLSE). The researchers conducted a test known as Cell Counting Kit-8 assay to observe the activity of CLSE on cell multiplication. Flow-cytometric analysis and western blot analysis were also used to examine the impact of CLSE on the regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis (cell death) in the HeLa cells.
In terms of the results, it was found that CLSE significantly halted cell proliferation, and promoted cell cycle arrest in the HeLa cells. This arrest was associated with downregulation of certain key proteins involved in cell cycle regulation. Additionally, CLSE was seen to induce apoptosis, demonstrated by specific staining techniques used to observe nuclear DNA fragmentation. The induction of apoptosis was tied to the inhibition of certain anti-apoptotic proteins and the upregulation of apoptotic proteins. Lastly, it was observed that CLSE deactivated certain key pathways in HeLa cells. As a conclusion, CLSE's therapeutic potential against cervical cancer was emphasized due to these anti-cancer effects.
Coix extracts have anti-colorectal cancer potential.
2016 Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences In vitro anti-cancer activities of Job’s tears (Coix lachryma-jobi Linn.) extracts on human colon adenocarcinoma Manosroi, A., Sainakham, M., Chankhampan, C., et al.
Coix Seed
The whole seed (W), endosperm (E) and hull (H) of five cultivars of Job’s tears (Coix lachryma-jobi Linn. var. ma-yuen Stapf) including Thai Black Phayao, Thai Black Loei, Laos Black Loei, Laos White Loei and Laos Black Luang Phra Bang were processed before solvent extraction by non-cooking, roasting, boiling and steaming Each part of the Job’s tears was extracted by the cold and hot process by refluxing with methanol and hexane.
The extract from the hull of Thai Black Loei roasted before extracting by hot methanol (M-HTBL-R2) showed the highest anti-proliferative activity on HT-29 with the IC50 values of 11.61 ± 0.95 μg/ml, while the extract from the non-cooked hull of Thai Black Loei by cold methanol extraction (M-HTBL-N1) gave the highest apoptosis (8.17 ± 1.18%) with no necrosis. In addition, M-HTBL-R2 and M-HTBL-N1 indicated free radical scavenging activity at the SC50 values of 0.48 ± 0.12 and 2.47 ± 1.15 mg/ml, respectively. This study has demonstrated the anti-colorectal cancer potential of the M-HTBL-R2 and M-HTBL-N1 extracts.